The Nostalgia of Vitamin C
Vitamin C is nostalgic for me. I can’t really say that about any of the other micronutrients, herbs, or supplements I use. Just the C.
You see (ha-ha), when I was little, I would accompany my Mom on her weekly errands. These included getting groceries at Stop and Shop, picking up some items at Caldor’s, maybe doing a Toys-R-Us run, going gift shopping and taking a trip to the local drugstore.
The drugstore in our small town featured not only a pharmacy but also rows of greeting cards, candies and assorted memorabilia. They also carried rolls of Windmill Vitamin C tablets. I remember peeling back the foil and then gently pulling off the wax paper to reveal the little orange wafers. It was a delicate endeavor — if you pulled it too fast, more than one would tumble out. They were tangy, delicious and my favorite thing in the store (aside from the neon-haired troll dolls). Because they had some health benefits, those Vitamin C rolls made their way into our basket many weeks.
The drugstore closed many years ago, probably before I finished high school. I can’t even recall the name. Now there’s a CVS a block from where it was.
I tried to find those same Windmill Vitamin C wafers last year, but couldn’t find a local shop that carried them (I tried a couple that looked promising from their information online, but no C). However, poking around the pharmacy section of the local grocery a few weeks ago, I found some Vitamin C wafers that looked to be decent quality and sounded similar, although they were in a bottle instead of rolls.
I could barely contain my excitement and almost dug into the bottle in the car (it’s the “little” things) — but then I remembered that we’re in a pandemic and I should wash my paws before touching my supplements, etc. Well, the little orange wafers were worth the wait — they still looked like soft orange-white discs, with the tang and the deliciousness I remembered.
I never expected to feel older writing this all down, but I do. Adulting is hard. Finding nostalgia in a Vitamin C wafer makes it feel a tad easier — plus I know I’m supporting my wellness at the same time :)
